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WORLD NEWS Thursday 27 February 2020
Zimbabwe's rural elderly battle hunger amid severe drought

By FARAI MUTSAKA million for food assistance
Associated Press in Zimbabwe but so far
MUDZI, Zimbabwe (AP) — has raised just half of that
Living alone in Zimbabwe's amount.
arid Mudzi district, Leah Nearly 1,000 people of all
Tsiga's best friend is her cat. ages gathered at Nakiwa
But when it comes to food, village in Mudzi, to receive
each has to look for their monthly food rations.
own and the 90-year-old Before the distribution,
Tsiga often comes second people prayed and then
best. recited slogans for smart
The crafty feline forages agriculture strategies they
in nearby bushes for rats, learned in training work-
birds, insects and worms. As shops.
for the frail Tsiga, she some- The elderly became the
times goes for days without butt of friendly banter to
a solid meal, as Zimbabwe lighten the mood among
is ravaged by a combina- people sitting on stones
tion of drought and deep- and under the shade of
ening economic crisis. small jatropha trees to es-
Tsiga ate porridge the pre- cape the searing heat.
vious night, her first meal in "This is not a modelling
two days, she said. show, walk faster you girls,"
"I approached one of my In this Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, Leah Tsiga, stands outside her thatched hut with an empty basket shouted one woman to
neighbors who felt pity for in Mudzi about 230 Kilometers, northeast of the Zimbabwean capital Harare. three grannies limping their
me and gave me a bowl Associated Press way to the food distribution
of mealie-meal and some bers, don't get enough sup- point. People burst out in
sugar for the porridge," she port from the government laughter, before lining up
told The Associated Press, and must keep farming behind the old women to
sitting outside her round, their small patches of land. collect rations of cow peas
grass-thatched hut. Many are reliant upon in- (black-eyed peas), maize
She used to get help from ternational food aid. meal and vegetable oil.
her three children, but they Walking bent over with a The elderly women also
are battling to make ends cane, 89-year-old Sophia chuckled ruefully, masking
meet because of Zimba- Chatundumura said she their fatigue after walking
bwe's high unemployment. had to hike about 5 kilome- several kilometers (miles).
"They all went to Harare ters (3 miles) to reach the "There is too much hun-
(the capital) to look for point where food aid was ger here ... I can no longer
jobs," said Tsiga. "They are distributed because her cope," one of them, 61-year
also struggling. So it's just grandchildren were away old Mavis Pawandiwa later
me and my cat here," she at school. told AP, breaking down
said. "I can't ask for help from my In this Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020 photo, women carry bags of several times and battling
Zimbabwe is among the neighbors because they corn they received as food aid, in Mudzi about 230 Kilometers to contain her tears.
world's most food insecure also have nothing," she northeast of the Zimbabwean capital Harare. After receiving her food ra-
countries with more than said. Associated Press tions, Tsiga, the old wom-
half of the its 15 million peo- The international food assis- an with the cat, returned
ple in need of food assis- tance is targeting "the most ous nation with food until briefly in January, but it home to cook sadza, a
tance, according to U.N.'s vulnerable groups, the el- April when people are ex- was too late for the crops, stiff porridge made from
World Food Program. derly whom we expect not pected to harvest this year's and farmers," said Godfrey ground maize that she
A drought, described by to work in the fields or to crop, said Claire Neville, Mboweni, a government had received. To go with
experts as the most severe get enough harvest to take a communications officer agronomist. it, she cooked leaves from
in decades and worsened them throughout the year," with the organization. "As climate change is in- the pigweed (amaranthus)
by climate change, has said Never Chituwu, an of- But that's assuming there tensifying, Zimbabwe and and okra growing among a
seen large numbers of rural ficial with World Vision, an will be something to har- indeed all of southern Af- faltering pearl millet crop in
farmers unable to grow ad- international charity that vest. rica is a prime example of her small field.
equate food. participated in the food Rains have been sparse this people suffering most from "It is not old age that will kill
A debilitating economic distribution. He added that year and staple crops such climate change," said Nev- me, it is hunger," said Tsiga,
crisis that has seen Zimba- many elderly are taking as maize and sorghum are ille, the WFP officer. as her cat, seemingly on a
bwe's annual inflation spike care of orphans. stunted and wilting across Many shops in the district full stomach, slept content-
to 500% — second only to Of the 134,000 people in the district, a few kilometers were closed while those still edly nearby.q
that in Venezuela — has Mudzi district, more than (miles) from Mozambique, operating had just a trickle
worsened the situation and half are in urgent need of another country hard hit by of customers as few people
left millions of people des- food assistance, said the the drought. Many people have money to buy food
perate for survival. local district administrator, did not even plant due to items, even when they are
In Mudzi, about 230 kilome- Robert Mzezewa, adding the erratic rains and large available in shops.
ters (143 miles) northeast of that many younger people swathes of land lie fallow. The WFP says it wants to
Harare, the situation is pal- have resorted to the often "It is becoming difficult to scale up assistance to
pably dire and it has espe- violent small-scale gold depend on the rains these reach more than 4 million
cially hit the elderly. Making mining to survive. days. Mudzi had rains in people in Zimbabwe, al-
up about 4% of Zimbabwe's The World Food Program is December, followed by a though 7.7 million people
population, they are often assisting 3.5 million people sudden dry spell lasting 23 are in need. The agency
neglected by family mem- across the once-prosper- days. The rains returned says it requires over $200